The End
by Twins 'n Fandoms
Summary: He was there for his beginning, but even, he, the true Ceator, has never seen... The End. Because they have never reached a true End. But maybe... just this once... maybe they could find a better End.


**I wanted to write a BATIM fic so... here it is. This is inspired by Joey's line at Chapter Five at his audio log and it's like a rewrite of my older and longer story 'i'll move heaven and hell for you'.**

 **This is kinda the shorter and cleaner part plus chapter five and the theories.**

 **(P.S WOAH I NEVER KNEW I'D STRETCH IT TO BE LONGER THAN THE ORIGINALLLLL)**

 **Also, Happy Birthday Pink Fox :'3 and Happy Belated Birthday Joanfenny :)**

 **Thanks for making me happy frends :)**

* * *

 **Warnings: Mentions of suicide, craziness due to repetition of events, agnst, spoilers, theories and canon mixed together, inspired by comics and different ending**

* * *

Disclaimer:

Howls of "NO" echoed in the room as Louise curled up in the corner of the room. "You just can't end the game that way!" She cried, shaking her fist at the computer. "The End can't be _the end._ "

"ALSO YOU SERIOUSLY CAN'T TELL ME HENRY'S STUCK IN GROUNDHOG DAY!"

"Meatly, I swear if you're leaving us hanging on a cliff with that, I will... I will-" Louise burst into tears. "NARRATOR! STOP IT AND DO THE DISCLAIMER YOURSELF!"

The narrator sighs. Oh, well. Louise doesn't own anything from BATIM. That is all.

* * *

"Come to the old workshop," Joey Drew says, pointing to the door. "There's something I need to show you."

Henry hesistates, looking at the door. _No,_ his mind firmly answers, refusing to get anywhere near that door. But why shouldn't he? Whatever just happened, it clearly was just a dream. So why shouldn't he leave? The exit to Joey's apartment couldn't be directly to the studio's door, could it? He wants to leave this apartment - and for goodness' sake, the exit to this apartment wasn't the entrance to the studio!

His body stands up and he silently goes to the door. He takes an unconscious intake of breath and he opens the door, blinded by the light -

The door closes behind him. Henry stands there, surprized and mouth agape.

He was back at the studio.

* * *

It's hopeless, Henry knows. It's hopeless; he's hopeless; there's no way to get out.

He eyes his axe. What if there was a way? What if he just stops? What if he just gets it over with?

He gingerly picks it up and moves his finger along the handle. It had been used so many times... but it still had a blade sharp enough to cut.

Bendy's after his neck anyways... why doesn't he take it himself? Why doesn't he end it all?

It seems like a resonable answer. Henry's hands shake as he holds it above his head. He gulps as he closes his eyes. _Linda. Joey. Every friend of his. He just couldn't handle the pain, the madness anymore._

He despises himself for what he's about to do. It's selfish of him to do this _but._

He lets it swing, the clean slice ringing in his ears as it runs through his head, and he feels himself fall in slow motion to the ground.

* * *

His eyes blink open, hearing the familiar creak of the door as his body automatically closes the door without him having any control.

He stands there quiet, surveying what happens. He looks at the note in his hand, crumples it into a ball and throws it as hard as he could into the wall.

* * *

Henry patiently removes the ink blobs from the rudder as he regains control over the boat, knowing how to avoid the giant hand now and avoid being killed. He closes his eyes and thinks of something that may bring him comfort-

" _I'm about to sound crazy," Henry says miserably to Allison, who looks over her shoulder in confusion. "Well, maybe I have gone crazy. But I need someone to talk to."_

 _Allison's eyes softens as she goes back to painting a message on the wall. "Sure, Henry," she says. "You can tell me anything."_

 _Henry takes an intake of breath. "I've already talked to you about this. Ten times now. And you have the same response."_

 _Allison stiffens as she accidentally knocks over her can of paint. "What?" She asks as she bends over and cleans up the spill._

 _"That's the thing," he says as he sits in his makeshift bed. "I've lived everything that happened twice now. I think I'm stuck in the studio. Like in a time loop or something," he explains as Allison listens on. "Yet none of you ever remember anything."_

 _"But you can't be stuck here," she says in a soft tone as she stands up. "You're the Creator, Henry. You'll find a way to break it. There's always a way."_

Henry only shakes his head and focuses on getting off the barge. He learned so many times now, that there is no way to break the loop.

He couldn't set them free.

* * *

It actually helps.

He develops some sort of routine.

Henry continually does what has to be done. But after a few weeks (?) of living like this over and over, old and senila man or not, Henry knows that deep inside, he'll go insane if he doesn't go do something different. So he does.

He tries to avoid his fate, he leaves messages on the walls (he's surprized when he's able to see them using the seeing tool Allison repeatedly gives him), he explores the studio, he tries to change things bit by bit _but._

It's not enough.

It's never enough.

He's an old man, but since going through the time loop, he's never been healthier or fitter. The adrenaline rushing in his blood when he faces off a monster - _no matter how many times he already had faced them_ \- thrills him.

It helps him cope with the madness. Somehow.

 _If he isn't driven insane enough by his situation, that is._

* * *

For the thousandth or so time, Henry trudges alone through the flood of ink and into the giant Ink Machine. He looks up and remembers how terrified he was in his first time in seeing the enormous room installed down here, terrified of his fate, terrified of what'll happen and afraid to see the end.

He stops himself from barking out a laugh. _There is no end in this time loop._

He walks into the Throne Room and nonchalantly presses the play button as Henry tunes out Joey's message. He didn't need to listen. He already knows it by heart.

For the first time since this time loop, he wanders and he questions, what had Joey meant? What was his intention when he left the tape behind?

 ** _"Bendy had been there since the beginning... yet he has never seen 'The End'."_**

How long had Bendy existed since the 'Beginning'? How long had he been waiting for the end?

When was even the beginning?

Suddenly, he feels the air knocked out of him as he snaps out of it, the Beast Bendy pushing him forcefully into the ground, sucessfully fazing him for his first time since the time loop began. He struggles to get up ( _he's an old man after all_ ) and manages to stand up and do his usual routine: avoid the Beast as he activates the switches and makes him destroy the four main tubes of the machine. It's simple now for him actually, he can do it in his sleep if he wants to, due to dozens of time loops' muscle memory.

He ponders once more in the past, back before the time loop even started...

~ o1 ~

 _Joey grinned at him as he rolled his wheelchair out, looking up at the building he had recently bought as Henry carried the supplies and small things he brought along with him._

 _"This is it, my friend," Joey excitedly told him. "This is where dreams come true!"_

 _Henry put a hand over his eyes as he surveyed the small, rundown building Joey had bought for the animation company he was starting. It wasn't much, but they weren't much when they met and they weren't much when they turned their little shorts into a big success._

 _Henry looked at his handicapped friend, full of hope and ambition. "Yes, Joey. Dreams come true," he echoed._

~ o2 ~

 _"Henry?" The said animator looked up from his desk as he startledly knocked the bottle of ink off, sighing at the mess and waste it made. "Yes, Joey?" He sighed as he bent down and wiped it clean._

 _"Have you thought of a mascot for our company?"_

 _The question caught Henry off guard. "No," he replied slowly, looking up at his friend in the wheelchair. "I thought you have."_

 _Joey scratched his neck. "I tried, but," Joey sighed and then looked at him. "But he needs a cartoon form."_

 _Henry slowly pushed himself into his chair. "Alright," he finally spoke, holding the tip of his pen near the clean sheet of paper. "How'd you like him to be designed?"_

 _Joey sat there, looking deep in thought. "Maybe he'd have a round head, with a smaller circled carved on top to make it seem he had horns, and ooooh, his head'll be floating off his body," he mused as Henry noted this down. "He'd have pie-cut eyes, a cheeky, big smile, a white bowtie on his chest, shiny black shoes and... I dunno, big, white gloves?"_

 _Henry tried to sketch him out. "How do you envision his personality?" He asked as he neatly sketches out the head, giving it an adorable spin and miserably failing as he showed to Joey, who shook his head. "Not that cute, Henry," he chuckled as he tapped his forehead with his finger. "He's like a little cartoon devil, a troublemaker but a scaredycat," he noted before he bade him goodbye._

 _Henry only nodded, watching as Joey left to take care of the newer employees as he secretly sticks the small piece of paper to his desk._

~ o3 ~

 _The other animators and employees watched fascinated as Henry worked furiously and showed them a smooth animation of the cartoon devil, smiling cheerfully as his arms pumped up and down. They gave him a round of applause as Henry faintly smiled and carefully showed them a short tutorial on how to animate and draw the character currently smiling at them from the screen._

 _"Question, Mr. Stein," a small, petite woman in the back asked loudly. "What would be name for this character, sir?"_

 _Henry's smile faded. Joey wasn't around; and he told him he had a name. He shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know," he observed the character on the screen._

 _"Does anybody have any names for him?" He asked the small crowd, gesturing to the character on screen._

 _The crowd began to shout names. Henry winced at some. Others were great ideas, but others... were just plain uncreative. Heck, they were even Disney ripoffs. Mikey? Ronald? Hoofy? Demo?_

 _They were all out of ideas when a lone person at the corner of the room suddenly pointed out something. "His movements are so stretchy... Scretchy isn't the right term... well, the cartoon character's bendy, ain't he?" He volunteered out, as the other employees muttered sounds of agreement._

 _Henry looked closer at the screen. Yes, the cartoon character was bendy. Well, rubberhose animations were bendy but... it held a meaning to it, like it represented the whole industry or era of rubberhose animations based on the simple movement the character was doing right now._

 _He gave the lone figure a brilliant smile. "Thank you for that idea, mister?"_

 _"Norman Polk," the man quietly replied, giving him a half smile. Henry invited him forward and shakes his hand. "Young man, I think you just gave me the right answer," he smiled at him as he faced the crowd. "What do you all think of Bendy, the Dancing Demon?"_

 _The small crowd burst into applause for him. Norman hid behind Henry for this part. "Thanks boss," he whispered in his ear. "But I don't really like attracting attention to myself."_

~ o4 ~

 _"You're leaving?" Henry sadly sighed as he packed up his personal belongings and looked at his friend and partner. Joey Drew looked crestfallen at the idea that he was leaving._

 _Henry returned to his packing. "For the war," he said in a wavering voice as he closed his bags and stood up, ready to leave._

 _Joey blocked the way. "But you can't leave," he pleaded with him in a soft tone. "The studio's down to only twenty good men, we're closing business if we continue like this," he looked mournfully at Henry as he begged him. "You just can't leave..."_

 _Henry got to his knees and looked at Joey directly in the eyes. "Buddy," he started. "I have to leave. I don't want to do this, I have to do this. It's either we release ten able men or they'll shut your dream down, pal," he softly explained._

 _"But what about your dream, Henry? We can send some other people, like Wally Franks or Sammy Lawrence-"_

 _"My dream... is generally just to make people happy in times when they need it. I love animating and making people smile but... the war... the war's making my job so much harder. I'll tell you what," he said. "Why don't you carry on my legacy? Why don't ya make people happy?"_

 _Joey looked far away. "But..."_

 _Henry stood up, holding up his bags, giving Joey a sidehug. "Goodbye, old friend."_

 _He turned around the last second before he strode out the door, seeing Joey's saddened gaze. "And remember Joey," he spoke. "Dreams come true."_

* * *

Henry gasps out in pain as he clutches his shoulder, burning in pain. His vision swims but he squeezes himself as much as possible to the walls, careful to avoid the beast's path. _Darn it, Henry, you've been in this loop in a long time and you haven't memorized the path yet?_

He lunges for the final lever and pulls it down, gasping heavily for air as he painstakingly moves slowly forward and towards the final room. He focuses on getting all pipes knocked down, but Henry's so much in pain that he can't move properly, that he can't even see three feet infrint of him-

Much less notice the beast behind him throw him against the wall, hearing bones groan and break due to his old age.

He can't help but be entrapped by the past and his memories as the ink reclaims him.

* * *

~ o5 ~

 _"Daviau!" Henry called out from the trench as the said groaning man, limped over to him in pain. "Come on!" He said encouragingly out loud._

 _A thud. Henry climbed the ladder to see him falling in the older trench a few yards aways from him. "Help!" The man hoarsely croaked out over the sounds of bullets whizzing._

 _He considered his options before slowly climbing the ladder when his Commander, Joseph Decescar, harshly pulled him back down. "What are you doing?" He hissed as Henry climbed the ladder once more. "Daviau fell in the other trench," he told the Commander. "One man's not worth risking a life for," his Commander tried reasoned with him. "Countless lives are lost in the war! You seriously cannot be thinking of crossing Dead Man's Land just to save one man!"_

 _"I have to try."_

 _"Henry! You are one of the best combat medics! As your Commander, I order you not risk your life to save one man!" Joseph barked, making other men near them both jump. Henry only shook his head, now nearly on the top of the trench._

 _"It's my job to save lives, Commander. I'm sorry." With that, Henry ran off aimlessly, avoiding bullets like crazy. He ducked to dodge a bullet whizzing at him. He lied down, making himself as flat as he could be against the ground to further avoid any bullet shooting him._

 _He held out his hand at the man, urging him to take it. "Come on, Daviau! You can do it!" He encouragingly whispered as the man gripped his hand. "I got you," he grunted as he slowly pulled the man out. "Can you crawl?"_

 _"Stein, I can't crawl," he grumbled as he gestured to his bleeding left leg. Henry pulled out a roll of white cloth he had on him and tried to tightly wind it around said leg._

 _"Limp as fast as you can," Henry whispered as they stood up. This was stupid. Everybody knew this was stupid. They were a walking target for the enemy soldiers to pick off. But this was the fastest way back to base._

 _So they limped, as fast as possible, avoiding bullets as much as they can._

 _Miraculously, they arrived at the base with no bullets embedded in them. As he started lowering Daviau to the trench, when he felt it happen._

 _It happened inhumanely fast. Piercing through his back and penetrating his shoulder. He felt his grip on the man falter as he let out a yell of pain. His shoulder burned like hell. He dropped Daviau as he tried to focus on his surroundings... everything had gotten blurry... yells and screams were penetrating his ears..._

 _He felt people carry him like a heavy sack of potatoes and settle him down. He tried to keep his eyes open, but sleep... sleep was so inviting at the moment..._

 _Suddenly, he let out another yelp of pain as someone pulled the thing embedded from his flesh, jolted out of unconsciousness from the pain._

* * *

Henry rises out of the ink, clutching his shoulder. The ink may have a way of bringing him from death, but it didn't heal things fully.

 _Some things can't be healed._

Everything's a blur, it is. For his age, he moves fast. Or maybe it's because of muscle memory.

Whatever it is, he's grateful for it. He dodges and runs and jumps and rolls like there's no tomorrow. Bendy's in a rampage; he can't be stopped. Henry tries to make him destroy the tubes, but this time, it's like Bendy's aware. He doesn't barge through the tubes in anger like always, he avoids the tubes and maneuvers around them.

Henry takes this as a sign that things can be changed. He feels his heart swell with hope. He thinks he could change his fate.

Maybe this time, he could.

The beast swipes it's enormouse claws at him. He drops to the ground, causing the tube behind him to shatter. Henry grins and its a mad chase over again. He makes Bendy destroy the tubes and its up to him to get back to the Throne Room. But Bendy's a little frustrated. Maybe he is aware. Because this time, Henry did not see it coming.

Bendy overtakes him and guards the throne and the reel player, snarling at him. Henry steps back, quivering in fear and excitement. Was this a sign that everything was about to be changed? That he could get an ending? That there was a different end?

* * *

 _Henry sighed as he picked up the pen and frustratingly tried to draw using his right hand, trying to tune out Thomas Connor and Joey's loud argument in the next room. Suddenly, the door banged open as Joey frustratedly strolled out. "I own thousands of them!" He yelled before slamming the door as the animator's room went silent._

 _Joey whirled on them. "Now what are y'all think are doing?" He hissed at them angrily. "Get back to work!" He yelled as he got out of the room. "We have a deadline to meet, people!"_

 _"Y'know what," a female animator, Anna Masolc, muttered as she stood from her desk,_ _dropping the pile of papers full of sketches that she and the few other animators worked on on Henry's desk. "I'mma get lunch. God knows when I'll decide to leave this damned studio," she grumbled as she stomped off. Slowly but surely, the room continued to be emptied as Henry finalized the sketches, outlining them silently. He liked the silence. It was slow but steady work. It helped him take his mind off things. Such as the question that: Was Joey crazy?_

 _He began absentmindedly to ponder over these words. Last week, Wally had exclaimed about seeing pentagrams and candles and messages on the wall. Was it proof of Joey's madness? He was the only one left in the studio, as a lot left in a hurry. Was this his work?_

 _"Henry! Join us for lunch?" A voice jolted Henry out of his thoughts as Wally himself shyly peeked in the door. "Being a co-founder is tiring work, we'd understand if you can't, we just thought-"_

 _"Wally. I'll join you," Henry cut him off, giving him a small smile as he rose from his desk, hearing his bones pop from sitting in the chair for too long as he gazed at the young man, beaming as he closed the door._

 _He entered the break room as he made his way through the twisting halls of the studio, sitting with Norman and Wally, and then joined by Thomas, who was looking very grumpy._

 _"Hey, Thomas," he greeted the person as he bit into his ham sandwich. "What's wrong, buddy?"_

 _"What's wrong?" Thomas Connor repeated as he took a seat. "WHAT'S WRONG? I tell you what's wrong, that damn Joey Drew has gone completely INSANE!" He suddenly barked, banging his fist on the table as the other occupants jumped, the whole break room going silent._

 _"He's off his rocker if he thinks that I can still go to the lower floors and get the ink flood off! And now he's blaming me and sayin' he'll sue Gent if the ink doesn't stop flowing," he glowered as Wally passed him a sandwich to eat. "So it's my fault now that his Ink Machine idea ain't working?" He wolfed the sandwich down and stood up, scowling. "Sorry fellas, but Joey wants the ink outta his office." With that he left, and the break room slowly regained its usual chatter._

 _"Oh, yeah," Henry looked around for a certain blond man. "Where's Sammy,_ _by the way?" He asked Norman, who leaned in._

 _"Sammy's turning out to be like Joey: crazy," he whispered to Henry. "I was sitting her for a long time since Sammy's been ordering us out of the hall and making us wait for long periods of time. He's being as peculiar as Mister Joey Drew," he said, his voice dripping with impatience._

 _Suddenly, the said man barged in the break room. "Musicians, come back in the Hall," he barked as a crew of musicians stand up and make their way to the door, dragging Norman with them._

 _He glanced at Wally, who was frowning as Sammy ordered him forward, confused._

 _He stood up eventually, deciding to go back. He had a lot of frames to finish outlining and arranging._

* * *

 _Henry was finishing up the last of the frames when Wally suddenly burst in, looking as if the devil had been chasing him. "Henry," he said breathlessly as he came forward, a black rectangular object in his hand. "There's somethin' I need to show ya."_

 _When he saw it was a book, he wasn't surprized. Joey was skilled at literature; he had been handling the scripts of the cartoons and he was the head of the storyboard. But when Wally set it on his desk, his jas dropped._

 _ **The Illusion of Living,** it read. Henry flipped through it, seeing many occult symbols and pentagrams. He glances at Wally, whose eyebrows were scrunched up in fear. "Where did you find this, Wally?"_

 _"It was on Mister Joey's desk," Wally replied in a small voice, still afraid of the book._

* * *

 _"Joey, what's this?" Joey looked up from his work as Henry barged in, holding up the black book. His eyes widened lsightly but he recovered enough to speak. "That's mine, thank you very much," Joey answered in a curt and cool tone as he wheeled forward and took it from Henry._

 _"Joey. Do you understand what you've been writing?" Henry slowly spoke._

 _Joey chuckled. "Of course, I do, old friend. I have been writing this, after all."_

 _Henry's hands shook. "You installed the Ink Machine not for the artists, right? You installed it to... bring things to life," he slowly spoke as Joey's eyes glinted and the handicapped man spread his hands open. "It was your dream, wasn't it? To make the impossible happen?"_

 _"I see you've been enlightened. So you know why the pedestals are installed... to appease the gods, good," Joey's mouth curved in a smile._

 _Henry's blood boiled with anger. Joey isn't mad. He's insane! He was aware he wasn't being credited for his work but... this? This was a different level of ambition. This wasn't a dream. It was something he wanted to happen, that he was desperate enough to call upon dark magic and occult beings._

 _Henry's eyes hardened. "Joey," he harshly said. "Snap out of it."_

 _"Why would I?" His grin turned crazed as he gestured to everything. "You know, everything started with a pencil and a dream. Success, power, fortune... that was all it took to achieve my dreams. People thought I was wishing for the impossible. But was I any short of my vision? Ha! No!" He laughed maniacally. "This company, everything we've worked for... if this comes true, we will not be on the brink of collapsing."_

 _Slowly but surely, he stood up from his wheelchair. "Look at what the ink has done, Henry! It healed me! Now think! Think of what we could do!" His eyes shone with ambition._

 _Henry took a step back. For a moment, he considered the options. Why shouldn't he?_

 _But deep inside, he knew. He knew that Joey would make everything go down because of his unending desire to make the impossible possible. People would probably suffer, because if Henry was right about Joey, he'll push and take just to achieve his goals, never caring about anyone else._

 _In the start, they had built a company to make people happy in times when they were in need of laughs. It was never about... this._

 _Henry realized that Joey had never showed his true intentions. To him, everyone was a pawn and a tool in his game. It was always about him and his unreachable dreams._

 _Henry saw red. He was a co-founder of this studio, this place of dreams and hopes, yet Joey took but never gave back from his hard work. He gave up everything for this dream. He even rarely saw Linda nowadays because of this. And now, it was ripping his life apart._

 _It was selfish of him to his co-workers, but Henry thought about his life outside the studio. His family, Linda, his friends... all of those had been waiting for him to see the truth._

 _He'd quit the job. He took off his badge (signifying he was co-founder) and placed it on Joey's desk. "You were my friend, Joey," he said in a low voice as he stepped away. "But I refuse to be part of this. You took and never gave. What will change the fact that all you'll ever see is your dream? What would say that you'll only remember yourself. I'm sorry, my friend. But I'm quitting."_

 _As he turned around and left for the door, he heard Joey yelling at him. "You just wait, Henry. You're the Creator! You've been with Him since the beginning, and you'll be there for His end!" He heard maniacal laughter as he closed the door. "You just wait! Boris, Alice and Bendy... they'll all rise from the INK!"_

* * *

Henry snaps out of his memory lane, looking at the reel in his hand. He suddenly falters at Joey's last words to him. He is the Creator. It's wrong for him to be selfish and leave his creations unfinished.

It wasn't Joey's fault this all happened. It was his.

He feels like a failure, a failing parent as he abandons his child before they have fully grown.

This is a first in the time loop. In everything he witnessed here, this had never crossed his mind until now. He feels guilt for blaming everything on Joey, feels guilt for having his creations witness this and he feels guilt and shame for fighting against his biggest success and biggest failure. Bendy.

This is wrong. He takes a glance at the tape. This wasn't the end. Killing his creations wouldn't mean it's the end. No, there's a different end; a different fate waiting them all. It doesn't have to involve killing.

He keeps going through the time loop. He doesn't know why up to this moment. It's because he still had hope, after a thousand times, that there was something different bound to happen. He doesn't give up. He just keeps on continuing.

He's the true Creator. If he could still have hope after everything he'd gone through... he could still have hope for the future awaiting them.

 _You've been with him since the beginning, and you'll be there for his end._

Henry understands. He would not let his creation have the rocky ending, like how Joey repeats his crooked empire path. He would not let the same happen to his joy and happiness. He is always there, since the beginning. But now, he'll accompany his creation to see the true end, and that did not mean his death.

\- o -

Bendy makes a small confused grunt as he regards Henry slowly. What was his Creator about to do? He was pondering a decision. A decision to charge? To continue the fight? To slip through his defenses and somehow put the reel in the player?

To his surprize, Henry takes a look at him and something in his eyes... his resolve hardens. He grips the reel hard in his hands and he...

 _He breaks it into two._

Bendy shrinks into his normal form, confusingly looking at Henry, his Creator. What new game was his Creator playing at? Underneath the waterfall of ink, his pie-cut eyes narrow. _I betcha he's playin' another dangerous game with me._

His Creator's mouth opens and Bendy expects to hear some scathing remarks about him. Why shouldn't he? He tiredlessly hunts him in these dangerous halls. He's expecting it, because Joey always did. And if Joey did it, what's to say Henry wouldn't either?

"I'm sorry, buddy" spills from the old man's mouth, the silence bothered. Bendy's wide grin turns upside down, stunned by the words his Creator chose to say. What kind of sick mind game is the old man playing at?

 **"Creator, you traitor,"** he whispers his mantra threateningly, voice so low that he thinks Henry did not hear anything but a rumble from him. But unlike all those times before, his whisper lost his ferocity.

What did he mean by sorry?

He's angry. Bitterly angry. He witnesses everything. His birth. His hardships. His transformation into the Ink Demon. His death.

This man, his _Creator,_ had never witnessed anything he had to witness before his eyes. What did Joey think? Use his other Creator to tell him sorry for his failures? Henry does not owe him anything. Why would he say sorry?

Henry is his true Creator. He's only trapped in here and forced to see and do horrible things, only to witness them a thousand times more. He owes him nothing.

But somewhere, inside, a feral beast wants to get lose. Henry isn't there for his birth or his hardships. He never sees the pain in Bendy's eyes when he sees the dead Borises. Or when he sees the pentagrams. _He has to pay and learn true pain,_ the beast howls.

Bendy's eyes harden. The beast is right. Henry never knows what had happened and why he is like this. He suddenly approaches him, fast and hard, ready to strike him when Henry makes a remark.

"Bendy... is that you?"

For the first time since the godforsaken time loop started, he speaks. "I was. But you and the others left lil' ol' me here..." he hisses. "To rot." He swipes at Henry, pinning him to the wall with his claws. "Now, there's no Boris to save ya now, Henry," he speaks his name with such disgust that Henry winces. "So what're gonna do now?"

"Bendy, this isn't you. Stop acting like the demon you're not."

Bendy brings himself to Henry's eye level. "But I am a demon. The demon y'all always wanted, right?" He snarls, sinking his claws deeper.

Henry doesn't say anything. He doesn't fight back. He doesn't even flinch.

He only brings his injured arm up and reaches out, wiping some of the ink of the ink demon's face, who stumbles back in surprise. He smiles faintly as he sees his eyes underneath the waterfall of ink was still the same eyes he used to lovingly draw. "I can finally see your face," he faintly says as he wipes off more ink, the thick ink feeling strange and uncomfortable between his fingers. "You're still the same Devil Darling I used to draw."

Bendy doesn't move. He doesn't do anything. His chest slowly rises up and down to indicate he's actually breathing as Henry slowly wipes off every small bit of ink off Bendy's face. "A little grown up... but it's been so long," he speaks softly, as he removes the waterfall of ink carefully. "So long since we've been in this time loop."

Suddenly, he feels the weight of the ink settle on his arms as Bendy wraps his arms around him, while softly sobbing. All this time, Bendy thinks he's alone, the only one remembering everything in this time loop. But here he was, Henry. His true Creator. He knows everything yet he never breaks or strays from his pattern. Bendy clutches him tighter, like he's his lifeline.

"You're... you're...aware of the loop?"

Henry only returns the embrace, patting his back in a comforting manner. "A thousand times," he whispers. Comforting silence surrounds them and it's only them in their world, they weren't in the Throne Room, they weren't in Joey Drew Studios, they were inside their own little world.

Ink drips from Bendy slowly as they hug there, holding each other for what seemed like eternity. Ink drips faster at a gradual rate until all the ink coating Bendy was lying on the floor as a giant puddle of ink, with a lone tiny familiar figure standing there, with a white bow tie, shiny black shoes, large white gloves and a horned head...

Bendy pulls away, tears of black flowing from his eyes. "Then why did you leave?" He cries. "Ya- ya think ya could just barge in here an'- an' act like ya care? Why- why d'ya even come back?"

This breaks Henry's heart to pieces, his face expressing many emotions such as sadness, guilt, shame and so much more that Bendy could not comprehend. The older animator only tightens the embrace he shares with Bendy, whose every defense, every wall and every strenght fell down. "I came back to set things right."

"If I only knew what he had done... Brought you all to life... I would have never left." He speaks softly. "All these years... I never knew. Thirty years alone... please... forgive me, Bendy. For being selfish. For leaving you behind."

Bendy's eyes squeeze shut as he hugs Henry closer. "Don't leave us again," he pleaded. "Me, Boris, Alice... don't let it happen again."

"Well, I'm back. I'm here now, buddy." Henry tells him. "I'm back and I'm not leaving you behind. We're in this together."

Silence fills the air, the sounds of ink dripping interrupting them. They give each other a sense of peace, comfort, serenity and a small spark of hope for a short time, but for the two of them, it was all the time they needed to fix each other's holes in each other's hearts. Words that never had the chance to be spoken fills the silence between them. Rather than reflecting on the past, on the grudges or on the pain, they hold each other while thinking of a future where everything... had a better end, a better fate and a better destiny.

One second, in the Throne Room, the next, gone. They were bathed in a bright light, making everything seem like nothing.

They close their eyes. Then suddenly, they disappear. Carried like feathers riding on the wings of the wind. With no idea to where it would bring them. The ground has seem to disappear but they do not fall. Instead, they feel like they were being raised, higher and higher... to where the light would take them both.

They were uncertain. Hesitant. Yet excited.

Was this the new ending? Was this the true fate for them? Was this the future awaiting for them?

They land on their knees with a thud, losing their balance unexpectedly as they are set down into a sturdy surface. Bendy holds to Henry as they both open their eyes to reveal...

Henry's heart plummets into his stomach. Bendy notices the frown and utter hopelessness appear on the animator's face. Crestfallen, Henry silently stands up and gently takes Bendy's hand, like a father, like a true Creator.

He _is_ the true Creator.

They look around the tiny apartment, exploring it. Bendy also notices Henry hesitantly steers him away from what seems to be the kitchen area. Why would he act strange? The only ending both of them knew was Bendy's death so why? Unless... Henry encounters the _fake Creator,_ Bendy thinks with displeasure, before going back to the beginning? That was unlikely... but Henry seems not interested in all things they both find in the tiny area, as if he recognizes it. He even offers a small tibit of information for the unfamiliar object at times.

Bendy's invisible eyebrows wrinkle when Henry half-heartedly tells him that they had to avoid the kitchen area. They nothing else to explore. The person who owned the place had a rusted miniature version of the Ink Machine in the garage and a door behind it, but he sure as hell would not approach it.

He pushes through Henry stubbornly and enters the spacious room to find a middle-aged man in a blue bathrobe covering the green pajamas underneath in a wheelchair, facing the window, apparently not aware of their arrival. At first, he's confused. Why would Henry avoid the kitchen area? There's nothing threatening to him in here, unless the man holds a axe underneath the bathrobe.

Then, it rings. The man hoarsely laughs, and Bendy recognizes that laugh. It makes his blood (or ink?) boil. He heard it in his nightmares, in his head, taunting him repeatedly. He wants to choke the man, murder him, do anything. But Henry's beside him and squeezing his shoulder, calming him down for a moment.

So he stays still.

"Hello, old friend." The man turns the wheelchair around with difficulty, facing them both. "Hello to you, aswell Bendy."

Bendy isn't expecting this. He expects Joey Drew, the man who brought him to this world, made his life a literal hell, and turned him into a demon, to be fit and be a 'new man', being changed by the Ink Machine, to be plotting something ambitious. He certainly doesn't expect a middle-aged man with blue eyes, grey hair, and a slim mustache sitting in a chair.

"Joey," he starts, obviously startled. "What happened?"

Joey only smiled at him with something akin to... guilt? Wistfulness? "Nothing you have to be concerned with, Bendy," he says kindly. Bendy's eyes narrow. Was Joey lying once more? He had the measure of Joey, and this man was nothing but selfish, ambitious and manipulative. He gestures to two empty chairs in front of him.

Henry wordlessly takes a seat and signs to Bendy to do the same. Bendy does sit down grudgingly, glaring holes at the back of Joey's head when he's turned to make a drink for Henry and himself. "Look, I know you have questions. You always do, Henry. But first, I apologize to you. Both of you. For putting you all through a literal hellhole," he looks at Henry. "Who are we, Henry?"

"Who are we?" Henry echoes the question. "We're just two people who made the _impossible possible._ " He says the last part grudgingly. "And stuck in a time loop too, I guess," he adds as an afterthought. "Is this hot chocolate?" He asks Joey.

Joey looks mildly interested then smiles. "You remember the time loop?" He barks out a short laugh. "I had hoped you forgot all those horrible speeches I gave you. And yes, that's hot chocolate."

Henry faintly smiles as he takes a sip. "I don't listen anyways," he looks deep in thought and then speaks. "Thanks for remembering," he adds.

Bendy hears the easygoing exchange happening between his two Creators yet he doesn't interfere. Underneath that layer of the atmosphere of familiarity was tension. Tension so thick you could have cut a knife through. But they both don't acknowledge the tension. They just talk. Like old friends with no history of fighting between them.

 _Like nothing happened._

"Anyways," Joey manages a faint smile. "I'm sorry," he says casually as he twirls his spoon in his cup.

Bendy almost falls out of his chair, never knowing when the day would come where Joey said sorry. He imagines a dark future where he murders Joey, and Joey begs and apologizes with his final breath. Not like this. Not in a kitchen, talking easily, and casually saying it. He's lucky when he clutches the sides of the chair and holds on, and he manages to balance himself.

Henry's not so lucky. He had only took a sip of his drink when Joey casually mentions his apology. The surprize shook him so much that he spits it out directly on the kitchen countertop and chokes. "Come again?" He asks Joey, wide-eyed as Bendy stifles a laugh from the corner.

Joey rolls his eyes in a mocking manner and sighs. "I'm sorry," he says slowly in a way that implies that he was talking to a toddler.

Henry takes the rag that Joey offers him and wipes the countertop. "You've gone insane," he mutters. "Joey Drew doesn't apologize."

Joey only chuckles.

Suddenly, the door rings. A small but high voice calls out. "Uncle Joey!" A girl's voice muffledly echoes as Joey smiles.

He stands up, wobbly and with difficulty, requiring assistance from Henry. Henry shoots Bendy a look and mouths to him: _hide._ Bendy's a cartoon character, and it doesn't take time for him to find a hiding spot as he dives behind the counter. He listens carefully as Joey slowly opens the door with a creak. He sneaks a look, seeing a small girl bound towards Joey, hugging him whole-heartedly and giggling as they go inside, with Henry behind, smiling wistfully.

"Who's this, Uncle Joey?" She asks, looking up at Henry. Joey looks at him and lets out a soft laugh. "Say hello to my old friend, Uncle Henry," he introduces as Henry crouches to her eye level and takes her tiny hands in his own, smiling. "Henry, it's Emily, my niece."

"Hello, Emily," he says evenly as she giggles. "Why don't you go to the room and watch-" Joey starts when the small girl interrupts.

"My Little Pony?" She says hopefully, gazing at him with doll eyes.

Joey laughs as he watches her haul her small backpack to the room. "Sure, _sobrina,_ " he says and gestures to Henry to help him back to the kitchen. "Now where were we?"

"Ya were sayin' sorry, or was he?" Bendy looks to Henry for affirmation as they both pick up their drinks.

"Oh, yes," Joey looks at them both solemnly. "I thought I was doing the right thing; I was starved for power and success. Soon, everything we had built, was nothing but a forgotten shadow of the past. We followed different fates. You chose the better path, a family made purely by love. Me, scavenging among the remains of a crooked empire, looking for what could have been saved. What seemed like the true path had been burned down to the ground. But look at us," Joey says, gesturing to both of them with the spoon, "it seems fate has been kind to me. It connected me back to you. The truth is, Henry," he leans in. "You were so good at pushing, pushing to do the right thing. And fixing everything."

Joey smiles at him, no deceit or lies found. "Managed to fix everything once more like always, Henry?" He gives him a nod. "You pushes me, no, all of us, to do the right thing. Well, with me, you could have pushed a little harder, but that was entirely my fault," he apologizes. "I'm proud to have been your friend, Henry."

He gives a final grin before turning back to face the window, gesturing to the door that usually led back to studio. Bendy looks up at Henry, whose face's lighted up in pure hope, even in his years. "Go on. You managed to take us and lead us to a better path. Why don't you reap the rewards of your sacrifices?"

Bendy's own face lights up. After everything, they were back on track. They could finally be free of the time loop. They could find a better fate, a better destiny and a better path.

They stand up. Henry takes Bendy by the hand, and they bid Joey goodbye. Henry places himself in front of the door, hesitating once more. Joey speaks up from his spot. "Oh, and Henry? Thank you for everything. For breaking the time loop. For fixing my mistakes. And for being a true friend to the end," he whirls around, blue eyes glinting friendly. "And no, this time, the door own't take you back to the studio," he barks a laugh.

Henry takes his word for it. He grips the door handle tight and turns it; and they face a field of green grass. Sunlight bombard their eyes; they take cover behind their hands.

It's spring; the birds singing and flowers blooming are a sight for Bendy, who's used to the sight of darkness and ink. And decay.

He hears Henry laugh beside him. "Guess Joey still likes his solitude," he says, looking around. "Why don't we go on a trip, buddy?"

Bendy hopefully gazes into Henry's eyes as they shut the door (not so silently). They go back to ask for Joey's keys as they borrow his truck and they go on a happy trip as they try (keyword is try) to navigate through the woodlands.

Bendy feels the wind in his face _and he loves it._ He blinks and he sees a bright and happy future ahead of them both.

But what most authors don't mention is that the road to redemption, to happiness, to a bright future, to Heaven is that they have to suffer so much more pain and learn how to sacrifice through the hardships. It's all set in stone; nobody can change it once Fate decides on it. But Henry already knows the pain, knows how to sacrifice, and he knows how to stay strong during suffering. Bendy has lived through suffering and he's witnessed more than hardships.

What they don't say is that these characters work hard for a good ending.

Because in reality, there's no instant happy ending.

There are NO happy endings.

...

And this tale... is not a myth.

...

...

* * *

Joey looks out the window as the odd pair get inside his truck and travel off. He takes a sip as he chuckles, hoping that they don't lost in the foliage surrounding him. Solitude. Just like how he likes it.

He spits his coffee out as he's being tackled by his niece. "Emily," he hoarsely croaks out. "I'm an old man. I can't do these things anymore," he groans as the girl smiles cheekily.

"But! I just finished an episode and I found it was the season finale and the next season is coming out next month and there's nothing I could do so why don't I bother my loving uncle?" She babbles, adorably smiling at him. "And I miss your stories."

Joey laughs. "Why don't you get off me, we clean this spill and I tell you one?"

She unlatches from him, immediately fetching the rag. "Deal!" She beams, and together, they clean the mess. They set the rag down and Emily helps wheel Joey into the living room ("I can do it myself, Emily!") as she sits down, cross-legged on the carpeted floor.

"Can you continue on what happened in the studio, Uncle Joey?" She pleads with him. He ruffles her hair fondly. "Maybe, next time. But there's one thing, Emily..." he says, leaning closer.

"We have already reached the end."

* * *

 **OH MY GOSHHHHH!**

 **I** **f you lived through that very, very, very long one-shot (well, long compared to my usual 3000-4000 word length ome-shot.)**

 **I'M FREAKING OUT THIS IS LIKE LONGER THAN THE ORIGINAL AND THIS SO MUCH MORE SMOOTHER THAN IT AND YEAH I did steal some segments directly from the original's manuscript :P**

 **Sue me for my laziness guys! I was hurrying to finish this and then a smol one thousand word fic suddenly stretched into this enormous, WAIT IS THAT EIGHT THOUSAND WORDS I SEE?**

 **I'm on a coffee rush. Don't question my randomness.**

 **However, hAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU PINK FOX AND YOU TOO JOANFENNY! I love you guys so much; thanks for the support and for making me smile and laugh because of your writings in ways you can't imagine (i snorted out my orange juice because I laughed hardcore so much, thanks a lot) when I needed a laugh! I hope you enjoyed that, because I totally did not write this at 12 am and got a large cup of coffee so sorry if it's horrible.**

 **Anyways, review, follow and favorite if you liked :) For being a rushjob, I was satisfied with it's length and kinda dark themes and half-rumbled theories and in-game and that totally made-up fanmade ending! I hoped you like my forced creativity :')**

 **-Louise**


End file.
